Announced in October 2010, Samsung Omnia 7 runs Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 software. It is powered by a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor with 512MB of RAM and has 8/16GB internal storage. It features a 4-inch WVGA (480x800) S-AMOLED screen and packs a five-megapixel camera with LED flash and autofocus. Other features of Samsung Omnia 7 include Bluetooth 2.1+, FM-Radio, GPS and more. Read our coverage of Samsung Omnia 7 for latest news, reviews, and videos:

The Windows Phone 7.5 "refresh" is nearly upon us, with news of Tango coming to China next week. Of course, we wouldn't expect a bunch of die-hard smartphone fans to wait until a formal release to start enjoying new software, and the crowd over at the XDA-Developers forums have already cooked-up a pair of custom Tango ROMs, now available for the HTC HD2 and the Samsung Omnia 7. It seems only fitting that the HD2, the quintessential tinkerer's smartphone, is among the first of the models to see these new ROMs. These releases build upon previous custom ROMs, so there's all the benefits of a ...

Windows Phone developers have a dizzying assortment of options for unlocking their smartphones, granting differing levels of access to the system. While the most popular may be the official Microsoft unlock, which was also offered through Chevron Labs, there are also interop unlocks and fully-unlocked ROMs. That last option is arguably the most appealing for users looking to get really down-and-dirty with custom software, allowing for the execution of native code as used in projects like the Opera Mobile port we told you about in December. Problem was, those unlocked ROM options have been ...

It looks like Samsung is still offering support for wave-one Windows Phones despite having the Omnia W/Focus Flash and Focus S to brag about. International unlocked versions of the Omnia 7 are receiving an update via Zune, according to recent reports. While it still doesn't bring the Internet Sharing option to the device, the update boosts the version numbers of the system all the way to 2424.11.9.2, together with Radio 242.11.9.1 and Bootloader 5.9.0.6. So what's in the update? As usual, there's no changelog to go with the refresh but, aside from newer versions, there appears to be 200MB ...

Mango's a done deal, phone manufacturers are well on their ways to having updates certified by carriers, and if all goes to plan, we might be seeing official Mango updates start going out to users within the next several weeks. If patience isn't your strong suit, though, a new leak offers Samsung Omnia 7 owners to check out Mango on their phones just a little bit early with device-specific improvements. Now, this isn't the final, official Mango update, but instead an earlier release candidate. The engineering test ROM was prepared for T-Mobile Germany, and includes apps specific to that ...

Watch this week's Windows Phone view as we wrap-up this week's good and bad inside the world of Microsoft's Windows Phone platform. In this edition we go through more Windows Phone Mango devices being leaked thanks to some developers posting their App testing logs. We breeze through Microsoft's recent job posting where they're now in search of an expert that will do a better job in integrating Windows Phone with the desktop. We also go through our expectations on HTC's planned event for September 1st, the rumors of the LG E906, which seems to be their branded Jil Sander smartphone and we ...

Windows Phone Mango Beta 2 is build 7712 but the version which Microsoft has released to manufacturing is Build 7720. The incremental system version number bump is small and there probably aren't any major changes but build 7720 is what you should expect to see shipping on Mango hardware this fall. Whether the image above is real or fake is anyone's guess. It shows the French About screen of Windows Phone 7 on a Samsung Omnia 7. As you can see, the phone is allegedly running Windows Phone Mango Build 7720, which is the RTM version. There's no doubt that current hardware will get the update ...

A group of Samsung Omnia 7 users from France have decided to write a letter to Samsung back in May, asking the manufacturer about the issues they were having. The French subsidiary of Samsung promised to look into things and the group of users recently received some info from a Samsung Community Manager. According to the info received, the Omnia 7 will soon receive an update. This update will reportedly not only fix several issues users are experiencing but will also allegedly prepare the device to receive the upcoming Mango platform refresh. The timeframe for the update is "the coming ...

A month ago we saw how you could update your Windows Phone to the latest Windows Phone Mango Beta but since then Redmond updated the build and released the Beta 2 of Mango which brings quite a lot of changes. In this video walkthrough we'll show you how to update basically any Windows Phone to the latest build 7712 of Mango, the Beta 2. The prerequisites are quite the same: you have to have a NoDo-powered Windows Phone and make sure you've got plenty of battery juice left! 1. Download the tool found at step 1 at the link below, version 0.3. 2. Download and install the Windows Phone Support ...

Early this morning, we told you about how the Samsung Focus was finally getting all its software brought up-to-date, with the release of pre-NoDo, NoDo, and the subsequent security patch for version 1.4 of its hardware. At the time, Microsoft also mentioned some other phone-specific updates that were in the works, but didn't have much in the way of details to share. Now we've learned a little more about what models can expect to see new code on the way. So far, updates have been spotted coming to the HTC Mozart, LG Optimus 7 and Samsung Omnia 7. None of these claim to be adding any new ...

We recently learned of an upcoming LG Windows Phone 7 device, the E906, which we speculated to be a refresh of the E900 Optimus 7, one that comes with Mango installed right out of the box. It that assessment's accurate, we could be seeing the same sort of action taken my the manufacturers of other existent Windows Phone 7 smartphones, at least for those companies that aren't ready to retire their current WP7 hardware just yet. One new Windows Phone device we've just become aware of is the Samsung GT-i8350, but will it be an all-new smartphone, or a Mango-refresh of an old one? The model ...

The 7392 build of Windows Phone 7, the latest to date, is the one that comes after the NoDo update and applies some fixes to Internet Explorer's vulnerability regarding the fraudulent certs affecting some websites. In its weekly "update on the updates" post, Windows Phone Blog announced that Microsoft is scheduling the 7392 build for AT&T HTC Surround users, with other models to follow. As far as the Samsung Focus is concerned -- which gave a couple of headaches to everyone --, Redmond is "actively scheduling the final set of tests" after which the roll-out phase can come for "Focus ...

The Samsung Omnia 7 sports 8GB of internal memory while the LG Optimus 7 has 16GB, both being NAND storages opposed to other Windows Phone 7 devices that use microSD cards for internal storage. While either of them will be faster compared to other microSD-powered Windows Phone 7 smartphones, the LG Optimus 7 wins over the Samsung Omnia 7 in both our internet page loading and game loading speed tests. Check out the video below to see what the margins are when it comes to both internet page loading times as well as launching Xbox Live games:

If you are using the Samsung Galaxy S II, you'll be happy to find out that a brand new ROM update is available for your smartphone. There's really not much info related to it at the moment but we know, courtesy of SamFirmware, that it's version I9100XWKE7 XEUKD1 XXKE4. You can download it by following the source link below. If you, on the other hand, are a Windows Phone user and own a Samsung Omnia 7, there's a firmware out for your smartphone too. It appears to be a NoDo ROM with version I8700XXKC1 XXKB2 but, as with the case of the Galaxy S II, nothing else is known about the update. You ...

After halting Windows Phone updates for certain Samsung Omnia 7 and Focus smartphones, Microsoft has announced that they have flipped the switch to the "on" position once again and updates are being delivered to Omnia 7 users. If you have a Samsung Omnia 7, connect it to Zune and manually check for an update. You might be lucky to have one ready for you: in case you didn't get the NoDo update, you'll receive a cumulative update of both NoDo and 7392 (security update); in case you managed to apply NoDo before the updates went dead, you'll only get the 7392 version. If you don't have any ...

After problems with some Samsung Omnia 7 smartphones, Microsoft has halted the updating process for the affected handsets but last week the word was that Microsoft is "making progress" without anything new to report just yet. Looks like Samsung has somehow found the way to fix the 7392 update errors Omnia 7 users have been getting. The manufacturer released an official Update Support Tool today which will install the latest Samsung USB drivers for your Windows Phone and guide you through the process of getting the latest Redmond platform refresh for your beloved smartphone. Follow the ...

In a blog post last week where Microsoft announced the distribution of the 7392 security update for SSL certs, Eric Hautala also mentioned that some AT&T Samsung Focus owners did still not receive the NoDo update besides the update for the Samsung Omnia 7 being halted. One week later, things seem appear to be wearing the same status tag. Microsoft's GM, Customer Experience Engineering, updated again bringing unfortunately no good news: "I know some of you are eager for news on the Omnia 7 and Focus issues I discussed last week. We're making progress, but I don't have anything new to report ...

Existing Windows Phone 7 smartphones feeling a little played-out to you? Anxiously awaiting for the next round of devices to arrive? It looks like several such models are very much real and currently undergoing testing, at least according to the logs one WP7 developer was able to generate of devices used to play his games. Elbert Perez gathered the data from users who have downloaded the apps he's coded for the platform. While the lion's share of the numbers reported come from existing WP7 hardware, a few outliers show that some companies have been testing out their new WP7 smartphones ...

A new app brought to us by developer Heathcliff74 allows registry, filesystem, and other low level access to Samsung Windows Phone 7 smartphones via developer-unlocked .xap install. The program is called "WP7 Root Tools" and aims to be compatible with all Windows Phone 7 Smartphones in the future. The alpha version grants higher access privileges on the smartphone, currently allowing registry access with further abilities such as a file explorer and certificate store access coming. The tool utilizes Samsung-specific functionality and so will only operate on smartphones such as the Samsung ...

The Samsung Omnia 7 is not your Nokia N8 and thus not a surprise when it comes to the quality of images and video captured with the aid of its five-megapixel auto-focus camera -- check out our Samsung Omnia 7 hardware tour. While outdoor pictures and indoor close-ups with flash fired are decent and above-average, we are not impressed by the images produced indoors with no flash. Also, we are not impressed at all by the video capturing quality and, speaking of that, while shooting 720p video -- regardless if it's inside or outside -- the image reproduced on the screen, acting as a ...

We know this device has been available for a while -- almost since T0 -- but we wanted to be sure to cover it for you. The Samsung Omnia 7 is considered to be the European version of the popular AT&T Samsung Focus, even though the looks are rather different but the internals are roughly the same -- as with any Windows Phone 7 smartphone on the market. The Omnia 7 sports a 4-inch WVGA Super AMOLED screen which offers great contrast and vibrant colors, a five-megapixel camera with LED flash and 8GB of internal storage which is NAND. At the bottom it has two capacitive buttons for Back and ...

After pulling the Windows Phone 7 update for Samsung devices and resuming the roll-out process, some users still reported problems while trying to apply the NoDo prerequisite platform refresh. Microsoft said that only 100 users were reporting problems worldwide and, through their own Michael Stroh, declared that Redmond has figured out and issued a workaround. The 800705b4, according to Microsoft, could be fixed by users removing all media and erasing all content from their smartphones prior to applying the update. We really hope that the 100 number is a real one as many people are rather ...

Long story short: Windows Phone 7's first update -- the one before NoDo -- generated a couple of issues with Samsung devices and Microsoft pulled it. Yesterday Redmond re-released the update after "the engineering team has pinpointed and fixed problems" but it looks like some users are continuing to have difficulties applying. Contrary to our reader Alex Bustamante -- who told us his Focus successfully updated to build 7008 -- some other Samsung Windows Phone 7 owners have difficulties applying the update. WindowsPhoneSupport tweeted that they are aware of the error code, 800705B4, and ...

The pre-NoDo update for Windows Phone 7 didn't go butter smooth at least for some Samsung Omnia 7 users that reported bricked devices after trying to apply the February update. Microsoft has put the update on hold "for Samsung phones in order to correct the issue" and now, one week later, is letting the update loose again upon Samsung Windows Phone 7 users. "During the past week the engineering team has pinpointed and fixed problems that were preventing a small percentage of Windows Phones from installing the February software patch" -- is this the 5% we don't know anything about? If your ...

Mobile analytics provider mtiks has made some Windows Phone 7 related numbers public on its blog regarding app statistics by device, country and usage. According to the figures, the US market is the number one market for Windows Phone 7 applications with 57.3% -- which is to be expected as a home country with a vast population and two carriers to start off the platform -- followed by Germany (18.48%) and UK (7.49%). Both app number and app usage-wise, the Samsung Focus is the most popular Windows Phone 7 device followed by the HTC HD7. From a centralized point of view, the top Windows ...

Even if you are not a Windows Phone 7 user, you most probably learned by now that Microsoft has started pushing out a first Windows Phone 7 update, a prerequisite if you will for the upcoming NoDo to be out in March. On the same note, you probably also heard that there were some issues involved and Microsoft has made its stance public on the first ever Windows Phone 7 patch roll-out process. According to Microsoft, 90% of the people who actually got the update notification and started the process have managed to finalize it with success. 90% is a good number if you refer to nine people out ...